(Rev 21 KJV) And I saw a new
heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea. {2} And I John saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. {3} And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. {4} And
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain: for the former things are passed
away. {5} And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, Write: for these words are true
and faithful. {6} And he said unto me, It is
done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end. I will give unto him that is athirst
of the fountain of the water of life freely.
{7} He that overcometh shall inherit all
things; and I will be his God, and he shall be
my son. {8} But the fearful, and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:
which is the second death. {9} And there came
unto me one of the seven angels which had the
seven vials full of the seven last plagues,
and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I
will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
{10} And he carried me away in the spirit to a
great and high mountain, and showed me that
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God, {11} Having the glory of
God: and her light was like unto a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as
crystal; {12} And had a wall great and high,
and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve
angels, and names written thereon, which are
the names of the twelve tribes of the children
of Israel: {13} On the east three gates; on
the north three gates; on the south three
gates; and on the west three gates. {14} And
the wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and in them the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb. {15} And he that talked with me
had a golden reed to measure the city, and the
gates thereof, and the wall thereof. {16} And
the city lieth foursquare, and the length is
as large as the breadth: and he measured the
city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.
The length and the breadth and the height of
it are equal. {17} And he measured the wall
thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits,
according to the measure of a man, that is, of
the angel. {18} And the building of the wall
of it was of jasper: and the city was pure
gold, like unto clear glass. {19} And the
foundations of the wall of the city were
garnished with all manner of precious stones.
The first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth,
an emerald; {20} The fifth, sardonyx; the
sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the
eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth,
a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the
twelfth, an amethyst. {21} And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls: every several gate
was of one pearl: and the street of the city
was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
{22} And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
it. {23} And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is
the light thereof. {24} And the nations of
them which are saved shall walk in the light
of it: and the kings of the earth do bring
their glory and honour into it. {25} And the
gates of it shall not be shut at all by day:
for there shall be no night there. {26} And
they shall bring the glory and honour of the
nations into it. {27} And there shall in no
wise enter into it any thing that defileth,
neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or
maketh a lie: but they which are written in
the Lamb's book of life. (Rev
22:1-5 KJV) And he showed me a pure
river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb. {2} In the midst of the street of
it, and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bare twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month: and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations. {3} And
there shall be no more curse: but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and
his servants shall serve him: {4} And they
shall see his face; and his name shall be in
their foreheads. {5} And there shall be no
night there; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light: and they shall reign for
ever and ever. Chapter 21
begins at the end of the millennium, and
describes the New Jerusalem descending out of
heaven. The whole chapter 21 with the
exception of the parenthetical statement in
verses 5-8 describe the New Jerusalem.
Also, verses 1-5 in chapter 22 continues the
description of the New Jerusalem. Verses
5-8 in chapter 21 are warnings to the churches
about either being an overcomer or having a
"part" in the lake of fire. Also, verses
6-21 of chapter 22 are addressed to the churches
and contain some very serious warnings to
Christians. With this brief overview, we
will now begin our exegesis of Revelation
21:1-22:5. 1. And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea. a. John sees a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and earth passed away. The earth has
already perished once because of sin, and that
took place during the days of Noah. The
following Scripture confirms this: (2
Pet 3:5-7 KJV) For this they willingly
are ignorant of, that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water: {6}
Whereby the world that then was, being
overflowed with water, perished: {7} But the
heavens and the earth, which are now, by the
same word are kept in store, reserved unto
fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men.b. The earth
and the heavens will be totally purged and
cleansed, and all things will be made new (See
verse 5 below). We need to carefully note
that he did not say He would make all new
things, but He will make all things new.
This earth will not cease to exist and be
replaced with another one. It will be
redeemed and made new, the same as Christians
will be totally purged of all sin and the old
flesh nature. After the earth is totally
and completely purged, the curse against man and
the earth will be totally removed.
Christians are new creations also, but someone
else has not replaced us. We have been or
will be made new, but we will not cease to
exist. Neither will the earth cease to
exist. Otherwise, God was a liar when He
told Abraham that the land of Israel would
belong to the Jews forever. God described
the land and its boundaries, and He told Israel
that it would belong to them forever. If
God is going to annihilate the earth, then His
promises do not mean very much. His
promise to the meek in the Church who will
inherit the earth would not have much meaning
either, if the inheritance were going to be
completely obliterated. The earth will be
made new, but it is this same earth that has
been around for 6000 years, and it has already
perished once in the judgment of the
flood. God is going to redeem the earth,
not replace it. c. When the
earth is made new there will no longer be any
large oceans like we have now. This is the
way it was before the flood. The whole
earth was a perfect environment with a canopy of
water over the earth to filter out the harmful
radiation that damages and ages our
bodies. This is the reason those before
the flood lived to be 900 years old, even after
they had sinned. 2. And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
a. John sees
the New Jerusalem coming down out of
heaven. This city is closely linked with
the bride of the Lamb. Based on its
description it will be in some type of orbit
around the earth, since verse 24 says the
nations will walk in its light. b. The city is
real and the following verses describe it in
detail 3.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God.a. After the
earth has been completely and totally redeemed,
God will dwell with men. They will be his
people, and He will be their God. b. There will
be no unsaved person upon the earth, and there
will no longer be anyone with his or her old
flesh nature. There will be no sin and no
desire to sin. Everyone will dwell in
righteousness and perfect peace. There
will be no requirement that anyone rule with a
rod of iron, since everyone will think and act
righteously in accordance with God.
Righteousness will dwell upon the earth. 4. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the former
things are passed away. a. It is at the
end of the millennium that God will wipe away
all tears. It is also at that time that
death will be conquered according to the
following Scripture, and there shall be no more
pain, neither physical nor mental. (1 Cor 15:24-26 KJV) Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the
kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall
have put down all rule and all authority and
power. {25} For he must reign, till he hath
put all enemies under his feet. {26} The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death. b. There will
be people who will die during the millennium
according to the following Scripture: (Isa 65:20 KJV) There shall be no
more thence an infant of days, nor an old man
that hath not filled his days: for the child
shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner
being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
5. And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, Write: for these words are true
and faithful. a. This verse
begins a parenthetical statement that goes back
to the vision that John had of Jesus
Christ. Jesus tells John to write the
words of the vision (i.e., the whole book of
Revelation) for they are true and faithful.
b. It should be
reiterated that Christ will make all things new
and not all new things. c. This verse
through verse 8 is a parenthetical warning to
the Church through John about the rewards for
being an overcomer, and the consequences of
being overcome. It is a warning about
losing or forfeiting the inheritance that
belongs to Christians. 6. And he said unto me, It is done. I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely.a. Christ
states that His work is finished, and He is the
Alpha and Omega. Christ is the author and
finisher of our salvation. Our spirits are
saved by His death on the cross, and our souls
are saved by our allowing His life to manifest
itself in us via the indwelling Holy Spirit.
b. Christ will
give to those who are thirsty for the water of
life. The water is the Holy Spirit, and
the life is soul salvation. If a Christian
is thirsty for the Holy Spirit to control his
life, he will be an overcomer, and he shall
inherit all things. This is stated in the
following verse. 7. He that overcometh shall inherit all
things; and I will be his God, and he shall be
my son. a. Christians
who are overcomers will not forfeit their
inheritance, and they will be sons (i.e., huios)
of God. The huios is the mature son who is
adopted as head over the household of
faith. All Christians are children (i.e.,
teknon)
of God, but only the overcomers are sons (i.e.,
huios)
of God. b. The
revealing of the sons (i.e., huios) of
God will be a major event at the time of the
resurrection according to the following
Scripture: (Rom 8:18-19 KJV) For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us. {19} For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons (i.e., huios) of
God.The following
Scripture states what is necessary to be a son
(i.e., huios) of God: (Rom 8:14 KJV) For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (
i.e., huios) of God. All Christians
are born of the Spirit of God, but not all
Christians are led (i.e., filled or controlled)
by the Spirit of God. The following
Scripture describes those Christians who are not
overcomers. 8.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the second death.a. It is of
utmost importance to note that the Greek word
for dead (i.e., nekros) is not mentioned in
this verse like it was at the judgment of the
white throne. These are Christians who are
spiritually alive, but who have been unfaithful
to the Lord. (1) The Greek
word for “fearful” is deilos and means believers
who are timid or afraid to exercise their faith.
The Greek word for “unbelieving” is apistos and
it refers to believers who are unfaithful, not
worthy of confidence or untrustworthy. The Greek
word for “abominable” is bdelusso and
means believers who have defiled themselves
without the cleansing provided by Jesus
according to 1 John 1:9. (2) The Greek
word for “murderer” is phoneus and it means
believers who have committed murder physically
or in their hearts by hating fellow Christians.
The Greek word for “whoremongers” is pornos and
it means believers who are fornicators,
homosexuals or who are unclean and impure. The
Greek word for “sorcerer” is pharmakeus and
means believers who are drug users or drug
dealers. It would include alcoholics.
(3) The Greek
word for “idolaters” is eidololatres and
it means believers who are covetous, or caught
up in the affairs of the world. This would
include Christians who strive after wealth and
material possessions, but are not interested in
spiritual things. The Greek word for
“liars” is pseudes
and it refers to believers who are
deceitful by lying. This would include
Christian hypocrites who pretend to be more
spiritual than they really are.
b. All
believers who fall in the above categories will
have their "part" or portion in the lake of
fire. These are the Christians who were
not overcomers, and who shall be hurt of the
second death according to the following
Scripture: (Rev 2:11 KJV) He that hath an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; He that overcometh shall not be
hurt of the second death. It would be
foolish for Jesus to be warning the Church about
being hurt (i.e., injured or damaged) of the
second death, if it were not possible. It
is clear in this Scripture that believers who
are not overcomers shall be hurt of the second
death. 9. And there came unto me one of the
seven angels which had the seven vials full of
the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will show thee the
bride, the Lamb's wife. a. We have
concluded earlier that these seven angels were
figurative, and they represented the 24
elders. This is further confirmed by the
following Scriptures. Who would be more
appropriate to introduce the Bride of
Christ--those in the highest position in the
kingdom--than those who are in the second
highest position in the kingdom (i.e., the 24
elders). 10. And he carried me away in the
spirit to a great and high mountain, and
showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God, a. John is
carried away in the spirit to a great and high
mountain. The great and high mountain is
representative of the Kingdom of Heaven in the
far sides of the North. John sees the Holy
Jerusalem that has been prepared by God. b. New
Jerusalem is closely linked with the Lamb's
bride. The new Jerusalem has the glory of
God according to the following Scripture.
The New Jerusalem will come down to the earth
and orbit around the earth at the end of the
millennium. 11. Having the glory of God: and her
light was like unto a stone most precious,
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
a. The glory of
God is in the New Jerusalem, and the light of
the New Jerusalem is like a precious stone that
is described as being "clear as crystal".
It has been explained earlier that crystal is a
type or picture of the righteousness of God, so
this precious stone sounds very much like a
diamond. The word for jasper is of
indefinite origin so we cannot be sure what
precious stone it is except it appears to
describe a diamond. b. A diamond is
made out of pure carbon, which is organic, or
derivative of that which is living. It
starts out as black coal, but under intense
pressure and heat, it is purified into pure
carbon, which is clear as crystal and reflects
light exceptionally well. This is
analogous to those Christians who have suffered
persecution, yet remained faithful to the Lord
and His Word. c. The light of
the New Jerusalem comes from this precious
stone, which is not the source of the light, but
it reflects the light from its source throughout
the city. It is my belief that this
precious stone that lights the New Jerusalem
utilizing Jesus Christ as the source of the
light is the bride of Christ. A very
simplistic picture of this would be a chandelier
that has a light inside itself, and the numerous
crystal-like cut pieces of glass reflect and
disseminate the light from its source throughout
the room in which it is placed. It appears
that the bride will be for the New Jerusalem
what a chandelier is for a room. His bride
will reflect the light and glory of Jesus Christ
throughout the New Jerusalem. 12. And had a wall great and high, and
had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve
angels, and names written thereon, which are
the names of the twelve tribes of the children
of Israel: a. In
scriptural language a wall is a symbol of
salvation (Isa. 26:1; Isa, 60:18), of the
protection of God (Zech. 2:5), and of those who
afford protection (1 Sam. 25:16; Isa.
2:15). The rich consider their wealth as
their wall of protection in their own
imagination (Prov. 18:11). The word for
great means splendid, stately, or prepared on a
grand scale and the word for high means
exalted. These are descriptive terms of
this salvation we have in Christ, and the
protection afforded us by Christ. b. The
gates represent the entryway into this great and
wonderful salvation and protection that we have
in Christ. As God's elect people, the Jew
is the means whereby God has allowed salvation
to all the tribes of the earth. This is
the reason that the names of the twelve tribes
of Israel are written on the gates. The
oracles of God came to us through the Jews, and
the lineage of Christ was through the Jews.
c. The angels
at the gates represent the guardians of the
holiness of God. They will not allow
anything to come into the city that will defile
the city.13. On the east three gates; on the
north three gates; on the south three gates;
and on the west three gates.a. There is a
total number of 12 gates into the city, and 12
is the number of governmental perfection.
Government over the earth will go out from the
city.14. And the wall of the city had twelve
foundations, and in them the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb. a. The wall of
the city rest on the 12 foundations that have
the names of the apostles on them. The
picture is that the salvation and protection
afforded by the city rests upon the foundations
of the faith laid out by the original 12
apostles. Paul would most certainly be
included in the original 12 apostles, since he
saw Christ person to Person, and he was
commissioned by Christ personally to carry the
gospel to the Gentiles. 15. And he that talked with me had a
golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof.a. The angel
that talked with John is one of the seven with
the final seven plagues, and we have determined
earlier that this angel represents the 24
elders. b. The golden
rod to measure the city represents that the
person doing the measuring is about to take
possession of the city. The golden rod
represents his divine right to take possession
of the city on behalf of Jesus Christ who is
King of kings and Lord of Lords. The
measuring of the city, the gates and the wall
represents his taking possession of everything
represented by these items being measured.
16. And the city lieth foursquare, and
the length is as large as the breadth: and he
measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth
and the height of it are equal. a. The city is
laid out like a square, and its length, breadth,
and height are 1380 miles by actual
measurement. This concrete number shows
the literalness of this city by actually giving
the size of it. b. By this
description the city would have to be the shape
of a cube or the shape of a pyramid.
Either way the city is extremely large with a
perimeter at its base of 5520 miles. This
would make it about one-fourth the size of the
earth, or about 1 1/3 times the size of the
moon. This is a good size for orbiting the
earth so that the nations can look up and see
its light. c. Based on the
description of the New Jerusalem, if it is a
cube it will encompass eight billion, six
hundred twenty-eight million, seventy-two
thousand cubic miles of space (i.e.,
8,628,072,000 cubic miles), if we are to live
inside of it. If we are to live on its
surface, it will occupy eleven million, four
hundred twenty-six thousand, and four hundred
square miles of surface area (i.e., 11,426,400
square miles). d. If it were
the shape of a pyramid, it would have one-half
of the cubic miles of space, if we live inside
of it, or about one-half of the surface area if
we live on its surface. 17.
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred
and forty and four cubits, according to the
measure of a man, that is, of the angel. a. The wall is
144 cubits thick or about 216 feet thick.
No measurement is given for its height, so it
appears that its walls totally enclose the city,
and the only way to enter is to go through one
of its twelve gates. It is a wall that
cannot be climbed over, and the only entrance is
through one of its gates. b. The
description of the wall seems to confirm that we
will live inside its cubical or pyramidal shape
rather than on its surface. Either way
there will be ample space for each believer who
lives in the city. 18. And the building of the wall of it
was of jasper: and the city was pure gold,
like unto clear glass. a. The
wall was made of jasper, which is crystal clear,
so the light of the city would shine upon the
earth like a large diamond that is one-third
larger than our moon. b. The city
itself will be made of pure gold clear as
glass. This is how the glory of God will
be reflected throughout the city, and shine down
upon the earth. c. All the
cities of the world are mere villages in
comparison to the New Jerusalem. Its
streets could be 1380 miles long from one end of
the city to the other end, and the streets will
be layered on top of each other like stories in
a building. There will most likely be some
kind of ramp that will ascend or descend to the
higher or lower levels in the same manner as a
parking garage. It will be a true crystal
palace made out of pure gold. Our minds
fail us when we try to visualize what the city
will be like.19. And the foundations of the wall of
the city were garnished with all manner of
precious stones. The first foundation was
jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a
chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; a. JASPER Green
chalcedony. Jasper commonly translates two
Hebrew and one Greek term. The first term is
used for the sixth stone in the headdress of the
king of Tyre (Ezek. 28:13). The second term is
used for a stone in the high priest's
breastplate (Ex. 28:20; 39:13). This second term
is rendered onyx at Ezekiel 28:13. The third
term describes the face of the One seated on the
throne (Rev. 4:3) and the glory of the New
Jerusalem (Rev. 21:11,18,19). The NIV used
jasper to translate an obscure Hebrew term at
Job 28:18. Other translation options include
alabaster (REB), crystal (NAS, NRSV, TEV), and
pearls (KJV). See Minerals and Metals.
b. Sapphire
(Ex. 24:10; 28:18; 39:11; Job 28:6,16; Isa.
54:11; Lam. 4:7; Ezek. 1:26; 10:1; 28:13; Rev.
21:19) The Hebrew sappir is a blue variety of
corundum. Despite the name, it is possible that
sappir refers
to lapis lazuli (NIV marginal notes) rather than
true sapphire. c.
chal·ced·o·ny also cal·ced·o·ny (k˛l-sµd“n-¶)
n., pl. chal·ced·o·nies. A translucent to
transparent milky or grayish quartz with
distinctive microscopic crystals arranged in
slender fibers in parallel bands. [Late Latin
chalc¶donius, from Greek khalk¶d˝n, a mystical
stone (Rev. 21:19) perhaps fromKhalk¶d˝n,
Chalcedon.] --chal”ce·don“ic ) adj. d. em·er·ald
(µm“…r-…ld, µm“r…ld) n. 1. A brilliant green to
grass-green transparent variety of beryl, used
as a gemstone. 2. Color. A strong yellowish
green. --em·er·ald adj. Color. Of a strong
yellowish green. [Middle English emeraude, from
Old French, from Medieval Latin esmeralda,
esmeraldus,
from Latin smaragdus,
from Greek smaragdos.]
20. The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth,
sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth,
beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a
chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the
twelfth, an amethyst. a. SARDONYX
(sahr' doh nihx) Precious stone (Rev. 21:20), a
form of agate. b. SARDIUS
(sahr' di uhs) Precious stone sometimes used to
translate Hebrew 'odem, "red," and Greek sardion.
Other translators use "carnelian" or "ruby."
c. CHRYSOLITE
The mineral from which the seventh stone of the
foundation of the New Jerusalem is made (Rev.
21:20). The Greek chrusolithos means, "golden
stone," indicating a yellow-colored stone. It
was thus a yellow topaz, beryl, or zircon. The
modern chrysolite is green and is not identical
with biblical chrysolite. Compare Ezekiel 1:16.
e. Topaz Second
stone of Aaron's breastplate (Ex. 28:17; 39:10);
also mentioned in the wisdom list (Job 28:19)
and the list of the king of Tyre's precious
stones (Ezek. 28:13). True topaz is an aluminum
floro silicate and quite hard, but the Old
Testament topaz may refer to peridot, a
magnesium olivine. The ninth decorative stone of
the New Jerusalem wall foundation is topaz (Rev.
21:20). f. CHRYSOPRASE
The mineral forming the tenth stone of the
foundation of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:20).
The Greek word literally means, "green leek."
The stone is apple-green, fine-grained hornstone
or quartz colored with nickel oxide and is
highly translucent. It may be closer to modern
chalcedony than any other modern mineral. g. JACINTH A
semiprecious stone more nearly orange in color
than the hyacinth. Some English translations
give jacinth as a gem in the high priest's
breastplate (Ex. 28:19, NAS, NIV, NRSV), the
color of one of the riders' breastplates (Rev.
9:17 KJV), and the eleventh foundation stone of
the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:20, KJV, NAS, NIV,
NRSV). h. AMETHYST
(am' ih thihst) A deep purple variety of stone
of the aluminum oxide family. Used in the
breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28:19;
39:12) and the twelfth stone in the foundation
wall of the New Jerusalem (Rev.
21:20). 21. And the twelve gates were twelve
pearls: every several gate was of one pearl:
and the street of the city was pure gold, as
it were transparent glass.a. The 12 gates
are each made of one pearl. The pearl is a
type of the church in the parables of the
kingdom. The pearl is not a Jewish stone,
and the oyster is considered unclean according
to Jewish law. b. The oyster,
which bears the pearl, comes from the sea, which
symbolizes the Gentile nations from which the
Church is gathered. The pearl is born out of
injury to the oyster as a foreign particle
enters the side of the oyster the same as the
spear entered the side of Jesus. The pearl
is gradually built up from living tissue as the
oyster coats the particle to protect itself. The
Church is also gradually built up as a living
organism. The pearl is the only precious stone
that cannot be divided and made into two or more
stones. It is also the only stone which may be
called a living stone since it grows while in
the oyster. It should be clear by now why the
Lord chose the pearl of great price to symbolize
the Church. c. The street
is also made of transparent gold, so that light
can shine through it. 22.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
it.a. The city
itself is the dwelling place of God. There
will be communion with the Lord without need of
going to His dwelling place. 23. And the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for
the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb
is the light thereof. a. The light of
the holiness of God will light the city so that
it has no need of the sun or the moon.
This does not say that the sun and moon will no
longer exist, but that the city has no need of
them. The sun and moon will still shine
upon the earth. 24. And the nations of them which are
saved shall walk in the light of it: and the
kings of the earth do bring their glory and
honour into it. a. The nations
are the Gentiles who were saved during the
tribulation period. They will be able to
look up and see the New Jerusalem in orbit
around the earth. They will be able look
upon its glory and light. It will appear
as glorious and brilliant as a large diamond
larger than the moon dazzling in its orbit
around the earth. b. The kings of
the earth may mean Christ and His saints that
dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem, but it could
mean those sub-kings who inherit the earthly
aspect of the kingdom and dwell upon the
earth. If this is the case, then the
statement means that the homage and gratitude of
these earthly kings will devote everything of
greatness and glory that it possesses to the
service and honor of that city. "Kings of
the earth" seems to imply those who enter the
earthly aspect of the kingdom. All of the
glory and honor of the earth will flow unto the
New Jerusalem.25. And the gates of it shall not be
shut at all by day: for there shall be no
night there.a. The gates
will never be shut at all during the day, and
there will be no night there. The saints
will have glorified bodies that will never need
to sleep or rest so there will be no need for
night. b. There will
still be day and night upon the earth, as there
is no mention of any change in the earth
revolving around the sun. 26.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of
the nations into it. a. The glory
and honor of the nations of the earth will also
flow unto the city. These are the people
of the earth who dwell upon the earth in their
perfected bodies of flesh and blood who will
live forever in their bodies like Adam. 27. And there shall in no wise enter
into it any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a
lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's
book of life. a. The city is
perfectly holy and perfectly clean.
Nothing will enter into the city that would
defile it, be an abomination, or be a lie.
The only ones who will enter are those whose
names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
(Rev 22:1-5 KJV) And he showed me
a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb. {2} In the midst of the
street of it, and on either side of the river,
was there the tree of life, which bare twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month: and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations. {3} And there shall be
no more curse: but the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants
shall serve him: {4} And they shall see his
face; and his name shall be in their
foreheads. {5} And there shall be no night
there; and they need no candle, neither light
of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them
light: and they shall reign forever and ever.
The first five
verses of chapter
22 continue the description of the New
Jerusalem. 1.
And he showed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of
the throne of God and of the Lamb. a. John saw the
pure river of water of life. The water of
life represents the action of the Holy Spirit in
controlling the believer. Everyone in the
city will be completely controlled by the spirit
nature which is in perfect obedience to the Holy
Spirit. There will be no flesh or sinful
natures in the New Jerusalem. All natures
will be in perfect submission and obedience to
the Holy Spirit. b. Clear as
crystal pictures the righteousness and character
of God. Crystal represents the innate
righteousness and character of God.
Crystal is a homogeneous solid, formed by a
repeating three-dimensional pattern of atoms,
ions or molecules having fixed distances between
the parts. It is transparent and clear
with no impurities. Unlike glass, it is
naturally and innately pure, and it is not
formed by the addition of heat and
pressure. In crystal we see the natural,
innate, purity of God in the Trinity with all
three Persons coequal with each other. c. This river
of the water of life proceeds out of the throne
of God and the Lamb. Here we see the
complete and perfect trinity of God in operation
in the New Jerusalem. God the Father sits
on the throne in the Person of the Lamb or the
Lord Jesus Christ, and all is in perfect harmony
and accord with the control of the Holy Spirit.
d. It is
impossible for us to imagine what it will be
like in this perfect environment, but it is fun
to try. There will be no discord or
disharmony in this situation so the requirement
for reigning and ruling with a rod of iron will
be over and past. 2. In the midst of the street of it,
and on either side of the river, was there the
tree of life, which bare twelve manner of
fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and
the leaves of the tree were for the healing of
the nations. a. Apparently
there will be a median down the street of gold
with the tree of life growing in the center of
the street, and the tree of life will be growing
on both sides of the river. There will be
12 kinds of fruit growing on this tree that will
yield fruit 12 months per year. b. The tree of
life shows that those in the city will continue
forever in the same state of perfect holiness
and righteousness without any deterioration of
the physical conditions of the people in the
city. c. The leaves
of the tree of life will be for the healing or
curing of the nations on the earth. There
will no longer be any death upon the earth, so
everyone will live forever in their fixed state
of holiness and in their bodies of flesh and
blood. The nations will have bodies like
Adam who would have lived forever in his body of
flesh and blood, since he also ate of the tree
of life in the Garden of Eden. There is
something in or about the leaves from the tree
of life that will preserve life in a continuous
state of health. d. Apparently,
those in the New Jerusalem will not require the
leaves from the tree of life, since it
specifically mentions the nations upon the
earth. 3. And there shall be no more curse:
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it; and his servants shall serve him: a. As stated,
the curse will be no longer existent, but the
throne or authority of God the Father in the
Person of Jesus Christ will prevail, and God's
servants will serve Him forever. b. The word for
servants means a voluntary bondslave, and the
word for serve means to worship or render
religious homage to God. 4. And they shall see his face; and his
name shall be in their foreheads. a. The servants
shall see the face of God the Father in the
Person of Jesus Christ. This means that
there will be an intimate association between
those in the New Jerusalem and God. b. The name in
the forehead expresses ownership or authority
over these servants. Again, it is
important to note that the word for servants
means a bondslave or a voluntary servant. 5. And there shall be no night there;
and they need no candle, neither light of the
sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and
they shall reign for ever and ever.a. There will
be no night in the New Jerusalem since the Lord
God provides the light. This does not mean
that the sun and moon will cease to exist.
The sun and moon will continue to shine upon the
earth and there will still be night upon the
earth. b. Apparently,
those upon the earth in their flesh and blood
bodies will still require rest for the purpose
of rejuvenation, in addition to the healing from
the leaves of the tree of life.